Renewal of Temple Worship

²⁰ King Hezekiah got up early, gathered the city officials, and went to the Lord’s temple. ²¹ They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he told the descendants of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. ²² So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and splattered it on the altar.^(A) They slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and splattered the blood on the altar. ²³ Then they brought the goats for the sin offering right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them.^{(B) 24} The priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel,^(C) for the king said that the burnt offering and sin offering were for all Israel.

²⁵ Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres^(D) according to the command of David,^(E) Gad the king’s seer,^(F) and the prophet Nathan.^(G) For the command was from the Lord through his prophets. ²⁶ The Levites stood with the instruments of David,^(H) and the priests with the trumpets.^(I)

²⁷ Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song of the Lord and the trumpets began, accompanied by the instruments of King David of Israel. ²⁸ The whole assembly was worshiping, singing the song, and blowing the trumpets—all this continued until the burnt offering was completed. ²⁹ When the burnt offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped.^{(J) 30} Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to the Lord in the words of David and of the seer Asaph. So they sang praises with rejoicing and knelt low and worshiped.

³¹ Hezekiah concluded, “Now you are consecrated^[a] to the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the Lord’s temple.” So the congregation brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and all those with willing hearts^(K) brought burnt offerings. ³² The number of burnt offerings the congregation brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. ³³ Six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats were consecrated.

³⁴ However, since there were not enough priests, they weren’t able to skin all the burnt offerings, so their Levite brothers helped them^(L) until the work was finished and until the priests consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious^[b](M) to consecrate themselves than the priests were.^{(N) 35} Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the fellowship offerings^(O) and with the drink offerings^(P) for the burnt offering.

So the service of the Lord’s temple was established. ³⁶ Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over how God had prepared the people, for it had come about suddenly.